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Updated: Jun 21, 2025

Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 26, 2013
Warfarin Therapy and Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Closure for a Patient with Atrial Fibrillation and
Sho Shimohama1, Masahiro Katsumata1, Shumpei Azami1
1Department of Neurology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Some patients develop ischemic stroke despite taking direct oral anticoagulants because of the presence of other risk factors such as coagulopathies. A 65-year-old male patient with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) taking rivaroxaban was diagnosed as having embolic stroke and antithrombin-III (AT-III) deficiency. Echocardiography revealed a thrombus in the left atrial appendage (LAA). He was prescribed warfarin, and after resolution of the thrombus, we successfully performed percutaneous LAA closure (LAAC), with no subsequent recurrence or device-related thrombosis. Warfarin and LAAC may be feasible for NVAF patients with AT-III deficiency.
Some patients develop ischemic stroke despite taking direct oral anticoagulants because of the presence of other risk factors such as coagulopathies. A 65-year-old male patient with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) taking rivaroxaban was diagnosed as having embolic stroke and antithrombin-III (AT-III) deficiency. Echocardiography revealed a thrombus in the left atrial appendage (LAA). He was prescribed warfarin, and after resolution of the thrombus, we successfully performed percutaneous LAA closure (LAAC), with no subsequent recurrence or device-related thrombosis. Warfarin and LAAC may be feasible for NVAF patients with AT-III deficiency.
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